Who will win Lady Mary's heart on "Downton Abbey"? Is there any life left in "American Idol"? Are Hannah and her "Girls" friends finally ready to grow up? Can Larry Wilmore fill Stephen Colbert's late-night shoes?

These are among the key questions as television's winter season brings a blizzard of fresh programming. In addition to returning favorites, viewers can expect a huge batch of brand-new offerings, including the highly anticipated "Breaking Bad" prequel, "Better Call Saul," the hip-hop melodrama, "Empire," and even a modern take on "The Odd Couple" with Matthew Perry.

But while much of the focus will be on incoming series, this midseason will be also full of bittersweet farewells as "Glee," "Parks and Recreation," "Two and a Half Men," "Parenthood," "Justified," "The Mentalist" and "Cougar Town" all get set to air their final episodes.

Of course, we'll also need to carve out some time for several marquee events, including the Golden Globes (Jan. 11, NBC), Super Bowl (Feb. 1, NBC), Grammys (Feb. 8, CBS) and the Academy Awards (Feb. 22, ABC).

Here are the notable highlights of TV's winter season, starting with new dramas, comedies and reality shows, and continuing with debut dates for returning series. (All showtimes are CST.)

•"Marvel's Agent Carter": A Marvel Comics spinoff that focuses on "Captain America" character Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), who in 1946, is on a mission to track down weapons of mass destruction. (7 p.m. Jan. 6, ABC).

•"Empire": A musical soap about a hip-hop mogul (Terrence Howard) with ALS who must pick one of his three sons to inherit his business — all while battling his ex-wife (Taraji P. Henson) who is just out of prison and wants half the company. (8 p.m. Jan. 7, Fox).

•"Hindsight": On the eve of her second wedding, a woman time-travels to 1995 New York and gets the chance for a do-over. (9 p.m. Jan. 7, VH1).

•"Sons of Liberty": A three-night miniseries about the rebels who helped to form a new nation. (8 p.m. Jan. 25, History).